– Episode 228Angus Mitchell

Episode 228: Transcript

[00:00:00] Antony Whitaker: Welcome to the Grow My Salon Business podcast, where we focus on the business side of hairdressing. I’m your host, Antony Whitaker, and I’ll be talking to thought leaders in the hairdressing industry, discussing insightful, provocative, and inspiring ideas that matter. So get ready to learn, get ready to be challenged, get ready to be inspired, and most importantly, get ready to grow your salon business.

[00:00:26] Antony Whitaker: Hey, it’s Antony here and welcome to today’s special episode of the Grow My Salon Business podcast. This year started off on a very sad note for the hairdressing world with the passing of Angus Mitchell. Angus was the son of the late Paul Mitchell who was the co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems.

[00:00:48] Antony Whitaker: As someone who had the privilege of having a close working relationship with the company, I was fortunate enough to, on occasion, have spent a little time with Angus and he was always full of life and love and genuine kindness. When he passed away so unexpectedly, social media channels were flooded with a mixture of shock, immense sadness, and love for someone who’d made an impact to so many lives in ways that we will never know.

[00:01:18] Antony Whitaker: If you followed Angus on Instagram, you would have seen a father who absolutely adored and loved his young son Dylan, and you would have seen a husband who had finally found peace. love and happiness with his wonderful wife Mara. As a hairdresser and co-owner of John Paul Mitchell Systems, Angus and John Paul DeJoria share a deep commitment to the beauty industry.

[00:01:44] Antony Whitaker: This week’s podcast is a rerelease of episode 46, which I originally recorded in 2020. I’m rereleasing it as a tribute and thank you to Mr. Angus Mitchell. He will long be missed and loved by many.

[00:02:02] Antony Whitaker: Welcome to the show, Angus.

[00:02:03] Angus Mitchell: Thank you, Antony. Pleasure to be here. I get very, very excited.

[00:02:07] Antony Whitaker: I’m excited. I’m actually determined to ask you some questions that you haven’t been asked before, So let’s start off with Hawaii. I know that you have a home there that I was lucky enough to visit a couple of years back.

[00:02:21] Antony Whitaker: But I know that it’s more than just somewhere where you live sometimes. It’s also part of your And the brands sort of DNA. So, uh, talk to us about that.

[00:02:33] Angus Mitchell: Well, um, obviously, uh, Hawaii is my favorite place to actually talk about because it’s a lot of, uh, my, uh, wonderful, beautiful memories of the humble beginnings of where my father and I had our best, uh, uh, memories together.

[00:02:47] Angus Mitchell: And, uh, you know, I think, uh, when I bring myself back. To that moment in those days, um, when my father had, uh, had, uh, left New York and sold everything and left, uh, uh, sold a salon and, um, left the big lights in the big city, uh, to, uh, find a very sweet, quiet place for him to, um, reflect and, uh, uh, find himself spiritually.

[00:03:14] Angus Mitchell: Um, so, you know, I, I think it’s, it’s quite amazing to, to be in the era as, you know, uh, the sixties, uh, coming out of, um, out, out of, um, out, out, out of England. Uh, with the blow dryer that the, um, United States had never seen before. Uh, and then opening up the first Vidal Sassoon Salon in, uh, Manhattan. And then opening up his, um, his, his, uh, first salon that was called The Crimpers.

[00:03:44] Angus Mitchell: Uh, and then moving on to, uh, his next salon called Super Hair. And creating, uh, the first cutting club in America to saying, okay, I need to stop. And finding himself on this beautiful little house, which was a guest cottage on the beach on a very, uh, secluded area, not a very high end area, by any means, a very humble area where, uh, houses normally would always get broken into at certain times.

[00:04:14] Angus Mitchell: And, uh, it was just a studio home, and the bedroom was a bed that had curtains around it, so you just pulled the curtains shut, and that was your bedroom. Um, he had a little hot plate to cook his food. Uh, we had a Volkswagen bus van that broke down on the side, and that was our guest cottage. And if we had more guests, we had a tent that we’d pop up.

[00:04:34] Angus Mitchell: We had this amazing, um, hammock from palm tree to palm tree. Um, on the beach end of the house that was directly at a desk where he would sit and work and he would, he would be able to peer over the, the hammock and see, uh, the beach and the water. And, uh, those are the memories that I really have that really kind of, uh, anchor, um, who Paul.

[00:05:00] Angus Mitchell: Became and who he was when he decided to create his brand, um, you know, he was always one that always wanted to, uh, uh, give back to the hair industry that had given him so much, uh, but also to reflect on, um, on, I think his journey, uh, choosing to find meditation and yoga. Uh, became a very strict vegetarian, and as a little boy coming from New York to visit his father, I thought that was very strange.

[00:05:32] Angus Mitchell: I was one who did not understand the yoga and the meditation, and I wanted a hamburger, and I was out of luck, Antony, just out of luck. I didn’t get any hamburgers, I got tofu burgers, I didn’t Maybe that’s why I don’t like tofu so much these days, but

[00:05:45] Antony Whitaker: I love it. I’m a, I’m a vegetarian. So that’s perfect.

[00:05:50] Angus Mitchell: Yeah, it was very interesting when it became Thanksgiving here in America. I, I was the one who didn’t get a Turkey, but that’s okay. Don’t feel sorry for me. Um, so, but, um, you know, it was those humble beginnings, uh, that I really. Um, that, that really holds dear, uh, to, uh, my heart and those memories. Um, and then, of course, when

[00:06:12] Antony Whitaker: you were in, in, uh, New York as a, a young boy, I don’t know how old you were.

[00:06:17] Antony Whitaker: Can you remember your dad’s salons that you alluded to two of them

[00:06:20] Angus Mitchell: a minute ago? Oh, well, I just remember, um, pushing my cars on the floor because he had these, uh, the way that he designed, uh, the, uh, salon was he had designed. Um, a curved cove from the wall to, to the, uh, floor specifically so that the hair would not get stuck in a corner back.

[00:06:41] Angus Mitchell: So, I mean, that’s how far ahead of this times, uh, of this time that he was back then. In fact, um, talking about, uh, Paul Mitchell shampoo, I think the first Paul Mitchell shampoo started at his salon in New York. That was called super hair. He actually had beakers and would create. Individual shampoo for individual clients at that time.

[00:07:03] Angus Mitchell: So Paul’s mind was already then thinking about a product and a shampoo, but it was at the time that he took away when he stepped away, um, that I believe, you know, bringing the blow dryer to America. Um, changing the way that people, uh, did hair, taking, uh, you know, uh, people sitting underneath dryers and setting hair in rollers to blow drying to then thinking, how can you maximize and build, uh, more of a clientele back to back?

[00:07:37] Angus Mitchell: And to save time. And that was through hair sculpting. So, um, with his education, when he began to really kind of focus on what he wanted to do and how to help the hairdresser become a better business person was through, uh, product of sales and also. Being able to work on a bigger volume of clientele by not wasting, uh, their time, um, extracting moisture from a blow dryer and just setting their hair into something beautiful, like a finger wave, something quite simple, and then having them sit underneath the dryer, then allowing him to be able to work on the next client.

[00:08:18] Angus Mitchell: Then that client when, when the, uh, when the, uh, sculpting lotion had already set, just let them walk out the door and tell them that they could brush their hair. A couple hours later, they could have two different looks, a wet look and a beautiful dry look as, um, as the day would actually, uh, Was that

[00:08:38] Antony Whitaker: the beginning of Sculpting Lotion, the product?

[00:08:40] Antony Whitaker: That was the very beginning of Sculpting Lotion. And that was really, uh, the true, um, success of our company. Because, you know, at the end of the day, people can come out and they can make a shampoo, but what makes your business, what makes your company different than any other? And it was the education behind it.

[00:08:57] Angus Mitchell: Um, Paul’s, uh, Passion and his way that he was able to, uh, communicate with people is just beautiful. He was like the Pied Piper of the hair industry. He was one of those people that would just, um, he had no fear. Uh, I would just remember all these different, um, Inventions that, uh, people would come to him with, uh, there was one that was called the Jewel Setter, uh, just basically a, a round cylinder attached to a comb and being able to work the comb to do finger waves and then to use the, uh, the round cylinder as, as the handle to be able to set hair into, um, little rolls, um, everything from a curved comb that his friend actually, um, Boiled in a pot of, of, um, of a hot water.

[00:09:45] Angus Mitchell: And then he’d bend it in a u-shape and then he’d use it as a clipper, uh, as a uh, clipper guard, um, a flat topper. Remember those? The flat topper? I’ve got one somewhere. Yeah. Yeah. I think I have one of my fathers still. And then of course it had like level in it. So, um, and then of course, uh, Robert, um, reminds me and also of, uh, we don’t have a lot of footage, but the footage that we do have, uh, I remember my father, uh, setting hair with, um, with, uh, balloons and, uh, you know, uh, Set, he would set the hair in a balloon and then he’d pop the balloon.

[00:10:24] Angus Mitchell: And then of course, with our hair sculpting lotion, it would still hold the shine, great, um, beautiful, uh, looks that were quite constructed. And then of course he’d push it down and get all soft and wavy and long and gorgeous. Yeah. So, um, really magical. And also thinking about the eighties too, right? I mean, I remember just.

[00:10:46] Angus Mitchell: All the hair began to come off, right? And then the shoulder pads become the shoulder pads in the clothing got bigger and the hair got shorter. Um, and I think that’s where, uh, I really watched my father get really excited. Um, But, uh, he was a man who was so good with so many different tools, clippers, scissors.

[00:11:09] Angus Mitchell: Uh, he was a fantastic hairstylist, um, that, uh, you know, as you know, and Antony, um, back in the late fifties and sixties, in order to get your name out, you had to win all of these, um, hair, uh, Competitions and the more you would win, then the more likely you would get a job back in England or in, uh, in London.

[00:11:34] Angus Mitchell: So, uh, uh, he had such a, an amazing, um, uh, arsenal of different techniques. Uh, but, but. But also with that, he had this beautiful presence, uh, and ability to be able to capture people. Um, and so for me, I just felt so lucky. Um, I once told my father, um, I think I was six years old and I’ll never forget it because we were always, I felt so comfortable in his presence as a little boy when he’d come to New York and visit me.

[00:12:11] Angus Mitchell: And, um, I said to him, I said, you know, dad, the tree doesn’t fall far from, um, from, uh, the apple. And my father laughed. He said, no, son, it’s the other way around. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. And I said, no, dad. I’ve known you before. I knew you in the past life. Wow. And, um, so yeah, you know, it was just a very, a very beautiful, beautiful, uh, um, spiritual relationship that I had with him.

[00:12:46] Angus Mitchell: Yeah,

[00:12:47] Antony Whitaker: I know that you hadn’t started hairdressing, uh, before your father passed away. Um, uh, what you were, you were 18 or 19 or something, weren’t you, when he passed away? Did you, did, but did you have any sort of hair conversations with him or was that just not on your agenda at that

[00:13:02] Angus Mitchell: point in time? Um, you know, I really found it obviously fascinating.

[00:13:08] Angus Mitchell: Uh, there was always beautiful, uh, ladies coming in and out of the house. We had a little, uh, we had an area specific for him to shoot hair. So we had a little studio. Um, uh, sometimes he would get, uh, I don’t know how he did, but some of the prettiest girls in my high school would end up at my house. I couldn’t talk to.

[00:13:29] Angus Mitchell: So I was too shy and embarrassed. Uh, so obviously, oh my God, one of the ladies, her name was Tia Carrera. Does, does that make a Wayne’s world? She was the main character in the movie Wayne’s World. And this girl was just dropped dead gorgeous. I could not even speak two words to her. I was just lustered.

[00:13:52] Angus Mitchell: And here’s my father setting her hair and shooting her by the pool and in the studio. And I remember saying, dad, um. You know, do you think you could, uh, teach me a couple of things, you know, uh, he said, you know, son, I would love to teach you, but what’s more important to me right now is that you concentrate on your high school and get yourself into college.

[00:14:17] Angus Mitchell: And I really want you to make yourself. So, unfortunately, no, I did not get the opportunity to be able to work with him, but, um.

[00:14:27] Antony Whitaker: Did he know that you were going to pursue hairdressing?

[00:14:30] Angus Mitchell: I don’t know. I don’t know. For me, um, I found myself more, uh, drawn to, um, acting. Uh, so in my high school, um, that’s how I got popular.

[00:14:44] Angus Mitchell: I was not popular because I was Paul Mitchell’s son. Except, uh, during those times, the, um The current look was the mall bang, uh, in America. It was the bangs stood straight up into the sky. And, uh, most of the girls would say, do you think your father could make the hairspray stronger? I think we were in the competition with, um, Aqua and we won that’s for sure.

[00:15:05] Angus Mitchell: Uh, but, um, back to high school, um, it was, I got popular because of all the plays I was doing. And I was very comfortable in that arena. And, um, When my father passed, I felt like it was my duty to honor my father and to at least try, um, going through the, uh, beauty school, uh, cosmetology in, in America, which was, uh, 1600 hours, uh, that you would have to collect to be able to get your beauty license to become a hairdresser.

[00:15:43] Angus Mitchell: And I thought to myself, well, what’s 1600 hours of my life’s time. Which would be the equivalent of 10 months to see if I would like it or see if I should pursue it. Um, but Antony, I got to tell you, it was probably one of the most difficult, uh, decisions and difficult things I have ever done. Um, you know, People automatically had thought, well, you know, Angus, it’s in your genes.

[00:16:11] Angus Mitchell: It’s in your blood. It should be easy for you. One of the ladies who was a close friend and a platform artist with my father, not too long into beauty school, said, Angus, are you good? I said, well, I’m okay. She’s like, well, if you’re just okay, quit now because you’ll never be as good as your father. So, I mean, I had all of that against me.

[00:16:36] Angus Mitchell: Uh, the, uh, school, some of the teachers there were kind of like, they thought I was there because I had to, they didn’t know I was there because I wanted to. Uh, so there was a great divide in the school of the support I would get and the, and the support I wasn’t getting, obviously, they were trying to push me out, but Antony, I have to tell you

[00:17:00] Antony Whitaker: this when you were, was this it’s Sasoon, but you didn’t have

[00:17:03] Angus Mitchell: systems in California, right?

[00:17:06] Angus Mitchell: Okay. Yeah. At that time, they were, uh, the best education and I still believe they are fantastic. And I’m very proud of my Sassoon roots, but at the same time, Antony, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today if I didn’t have to fight so hard for it and, um, you know, uh, I never say what was me. I, I just know what, what my journey was and, and through my journey, I know what I expect from the people that work around me, you know, it’s that level of, um, of a master craft.

[00:17:43] Angus Mitchell: Uh, and also humility. Yeah. I think for me, the hardest part was because I was, because I chose to do it to honor my father, I put so much pressure on myself. I just couldn’t relax. So for the first good five years, um, of my profession, I couldn’t calm down. I mean, getting up on stage with Robert Cromeans

[00:18:09] Angus Mitchell: Gene Braugh being, um, my father’s, uh, uh, right hand for the beginning of the company until, um, well, far, far beyond. My father’s passing, um, that was like probably one of the most nerve-wracking moments I ever had in my entire life. In fact, I’ll never forget the first time I was on stage with, um, with the Robert and with Jean and Jean said, Oh, why don’t you just do something easy, like a Bob?

[00:18:40] Angus Mitchell: Well, first of all, we all know that bobs are not the easiest thing to do. Second of all, this girl’s hair was so thick. They said, well, why don’t you pre cut her backstage? And then you can come out on stage with us. Well, this is my first time on stage. with Gene Braw in a Paul Mitchell, um, hair show with 500 people in San Diego and Robert.

[00:19:03] Angus Mitchell: And their pace is super fast. You know, the pace that Jeannie had, her whole thing was quick and dirty and Robert with his, uh, master clippers. So. And within 40 minutes, and I was a sweaty, dripping mess, I was wearing a white t shirt. I should not have worn a white t shirt. I would have won the wet t shirt contest for sure.

[00:19:23] Angus Mitchell: And I turned the model around, and this is now probably 35 minutes into it. Robert has already done seven haircuts. Gene has already done Probably five different changes in hairstyles, and I’m just muscling through and the microphone is a black, uh, foam ball in front of my face, which I kept thinking it was a fly.

[00:19:44] Angus Mitchell: And at certain times I think I kept trying to swat it away. And I looked at my model and I saw it was longer on one side and would you believe I wasn’t smart enough to just go to go along with it and go, it’s supposed to be asymmetric. I actually looked at her with my back towards the audience and I said, don’t worry, it’s going to be okay.

[00:20:05] Angus Mitchell: You know, all of this and here’s my hand shaking as it’s moving towards her eyeball. Oh, my God, Matt. I tell ya. Did you enjoy, did

[00:20:17] Antony Whitaker: you enjoy doing hair? Like, cause you put a lot of pressure on yourself. You’ve got a dad who’s like, you know, a very high profile hairdresser the world over, and you’ve gone and pushed yourself right out there.

[00:20:30] Antony Whitaker: I mean, you know, and I mean, a lot of people try and take you down along the way, so to speak, but did you, did you find some enjoyment in doing it?

[00:20:37] Angus Mitchell: Um, you know, yes, yes, I did. And because I, I knew that every time I would go out there, I was doing something good. I was, I was honoring my father. I was honoring the Paul Mitchell brand and, and I was learning myself.

[00:20:53] Angus Mitchell: Um, as I said, the first five years of my career was really my toughest. I felt like I was. Like I bore the, the crown and the cross on my back that I dragged along with me for so long, um, as I began to get further on in my career and began to relax and began to just kind of do things my way is when I felt like all that weight was beginning to, uh, come off my shoulders as well.

[00:21:21] Angus Mitchell: Um, you know, I think as some of us who, who decide to choose the, uh, career path as a educator. Um, it’s so much different as the career path, as a salon stylist, uh, as a career path, as a platform artist, and there’s so many fantastic. Educators out there, obviously coming from a Sassoon, uh, uh, culture. Um, I tried so hard to, uh, replicate that, um, and then bring that into our palmitoy world and then create an education platform that would, uh, rival.

[00:22:03] Angus Mitchell: Uh, Sassoon’s as well. Um, and then to bring that type of, uh, education format into Paul Mitchell that was not easy either because uh, Paul Mitchell quite wasn’t there yet in my uh, in my career journey  with the company we actually hired as someone who was a Sassoon-based Mr. Scott Cole and Linda Yodichi, and uh, that’s when things really began to kind of take off uh, Paul Mitchell then began to see um the importance of This type of education and this type of hair cutting Uh, but what’s so great about Paul Mitchell, the brand is there’s so much diversity.

[00:22:47] Angus Mitchell: So with that became a great, um, tool for us to be able to, uh, you know, really break down education through haircutting and through hair color. But then what Paul Mitchell also had was the quick and dirty, uh, and the showmanship, um, and then the salon, uh, business, uh, through, uh, Robert Cromeans. Um, and I think where we are today, Antony, we are probably one of the strongest educational, um, companies out there.

[00:23:22] Angus Mitchell: Yeah.

[00:23:25] Antony Whitaker: Well, when you left, um, you know, beauty school, when you, you’d done your 1600 hours, et cetera, what, what I, I heard a rumor that you opened a salon at some point in time, but I have no idea whether that’s even true. So I’m just dropping that in the conversation here. Did you open a salon?

[00:23:41] Angus Mitchell: Yes, I did. And I got to tell you, wow, that was, um, quite an experience that we were open for, for five years.

[00:23:49] Angus Mitchell: Um, and I did it differently. I did it to honor our schools. Um, so I only hired, uh, kids that graduated from our Paul Mitchell cosmetology school, uh, which as you know, could be a recipe for disaster because I’m not hiring a salon stylist that have clientele without experience. So, um, yeah. I took it upon myself to, uh, take them through some very, um, you know, uh, thorough and strict, uh, hair, hair cutting guides, um, uh, through, uh, certain looks that, that they could replicate, um, on clients and then had to, you know, really, um, do what I could to, as every salon owner knows, how do you stimulate and how do you excite someone to go out?

[00:24:37] Angus Mitchell: And get clients, which is what I loved about when I worked as soon as, because when you had to test on certain haircuts, you had to run out on third street promenade or in a mall or in a grocery store, and you had to find the model and bring them in to do the sort of haircut. Although I have to admit today, Antony, don’t you think it’d be pretty hard to tell someone you’d be perfect for the Dorothy Hamill of Ironclad or Gigi?

[00:25:03] Antony Whitaker: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. I don’t think that’s going to

[00:25:04] Angus Mitchell: work. Yeah, right? Yeah. So, yeah, um, but I’m proud to say that, uh, through the leadership and the hard work that I created within those five years, um, some, uh, those stylists that had worked with me and that I groomed and that I, uh, that I worked with, um, they are still all very good friends.

[00:25:27] Angus Mitchell: They’re all successful. Yeah. They’re on. I, uh, I did have to make a decision and that was where was my time most valuable is, uh, I had to find myself. I had to ask myself, where was I most valuable? And I found myself saying I’m more valuable at Paul Mitchell on the road with the leadership there that I am working by salon, because the more time I was away, then the more, the more, uh, the, um, As I, as I’m sure for most salon owners, when we’re away from our business, then the morale becomes low.

[00:26:04] Angus Mitchell: Yeah. It’s important that they see and they have that leadership and that, and they had that ownership standing there. Um, how did,

[00:26:14] Antony Whitaker: how did owning a salon and then, you know, and being a partner in the Paul Mitchell product company, John Paul Mitchell systems, how did that influence what you then did and the product side of things, or didn’t it influence?

[00:26:27] Angus Mitchell: Well, I mean, probably we were in, um, I was the only Beverly Hills salon. That was a Paul Mitchell focus salon, obviously. So a thumbs up, and then that was great because we’ve got to use a Paul Mitchell got to use the salon for a lot of their product shots. Um, and then also, uh, you know, uh, Paul Mitchell, we, as we begin to, um, explore, um, with different products, they’re sent to a handful of different artists.

[00:26:58] Angus Mitchell: So it was nice for me to be able to have that salon platform to be able to experiment different products as it began to move forward. Like, uh, my favorite one, um, Mitch is my favorite men’s grooming. Product, uh, some of the, uh, Paul Mitchell, um, as it began to, uh, be, uh, as it began to become its own, that line, we got to experiment with some of the treatments.

[00:27:22] Angus Mitchell: So it was very, very, uh, helpful and a great, uh, experience in my life’s journey of being able to understand the whole world, uh, you know, Even getting to experience of a, um, a, um, employee, uh, walk out.

[00:27:39] Antony Whitaker: Great. You’ve experienced everything.

[00:27:42] Angus Mitchell: Yeah. Oh yeah. I mean, that’s a very humbling experience for sure. And then being able to keep it on track and keep the client, uh, keep to keep the clientele that we have, but to keep the, uh, salon staff that we were left with, uh, confident and, um, and, uh, secure, um, and then also to, uh, realize after five years when it was time to, uh, hold them and know when, when to fold them.

[00:28:14] Angus Mitchell: Yeah. Okay. Five years. Okay.

[00:28:18] Antony Whitaker: All right. Um, I’ll just go back to Hawaii for a minute. Um, because your dad and JP were environmentalists. Long before their time. I know when I was in Hawaii with you a couple of years ago, you were telling me about solar cars, um, that they had is in the early eighties. Um, just, just tell us about that.

[00:28:38] Antony Whitaker: Talk to us about that area at that time.

[00:28:38] Angus Mitchell: Uh, well, that’s my favorite era. I mean, gosh, between a dad being on the beach and leaving New York behind to, uh, paying off all of the bills. Um, uh, They incurred to start the company and then finally having money to spend. And it was his, uh, dream to, uh, create this, uh, self-sufficient carbon-free, uh, footprint, um, piece of property.

[00:29:07] Angus Mitchell: And, uh, this is in like 1983. Uh, no one was ever talking about self-sufficiency or, um, or solar power or electric cars at that time it just wasn’t, uh, even heard of Gas. Gas prices were still a dollar 50 per gallon. Yeah. What that would be per liter over there in the uk, but it was extremely cheap. So there was no reason why anyone would want to, um, envision a solar car or a, um, electric car.

[00:29:43] Angus Mitchell: So back in those days, uh. Talk about humble beginnings. We had tents enclosed by four enclosed by two by four staple gun with plastic over it. And so that would keep the tents dry and the ground dry. And if it rained, my dad would say, just go out there and shampoo your hair and run around the rain son.

[00:30:05] Angus Mitchell: And so, uh, as we began to, um, evolve, uh, we got our solar panels and we built a. A, um, a, uh, design studio, uh, where, uh, his father and my father’s, um, friend, who had helped develop the property, uh, Jonathan Tennyson, and, uh, together, all three of them, uh, just put their energy into the development of the simplicity, but growing our own vegetables, um, uh, And, uh, catching all of our own water and, uh, uh, catching our own electricity from, uh, the sun, which actually those solar panels that are there right now are still tracking the sun and still collecting electricity, uh, to, uh, building the first electric car that was from a Suzuki Samurai G 1982.

[00:31:00] Angus Mitchell: So you can imagine it’s just a little tiny chassis, but the batteries that we had back then were the big car batteries. So the whole chassis was full of these car batteries and with a wooden basket seat that you get in and there’s no steering wheel. The gas pedal was a wooden foot attached to the pedal, right?

[00:31:21] Angus Mitchell: And then another one on the other side was the brake pedal to 1987, when they built a solar race car, which was the first solar car race across the continent. And that was in Australia from Darwin to Adelaide, uh, this car, believe it or not, built by hippies. Cause this is what it was. It was pretty much like a hippie commune.

[00:31:46] Angus Mitchell: I think I remember one day they were having a party and there was like an abundance of cookies. And I think I was eating one of these cookies. I didn’t realize what it was my father would say, why are you acting this way, son? Oh my God. You didn’t eat those cookies. Did you? So. It’s just really extraordinary to see what one’s vision.

[00:32:08] Angus Mitchell: Can actually, um, uh, create and do when you, when you have a passion, that’s why I am, you know, when I think about my father and I think about, uh, this man’s vision and where he was going, it, it was for the salon stylist, then it, uh, grew to the business, to education, then it grew to the self-sufficient farm, and then it went to electric cars.

[00:32:34] Angus Mitchell: I mean, yeah. Quite honestly, I think my father was really getting excited about the electric car, um, vision and world and, uh, if he were still alive today, probably would have been best friends with Mr. Elon Musk for sure.

[00:32:49] Antony Whitaker: Yeah, good on him. Wow. That’s impressive. Okay, um, so you mentioned, uh, well, you didn’t mention him.

[00:32:56] Antony Whitaker: I’m looking at my notes. John Paul DeJoria, um, who was the, the. Co-founder with your dad of John Paul Mitchell Systems. Um, when your dad passed away and now you’re the, you know, the co-partner of the company. Uh, I mean, John Paul has an enormous, you know, vision, credibility. Uh, but where do you start? We’re talking about what he brings to the table.

[00:33:21] Antony Whitaker: I suppose what I want to ask you is this, is what’s that like for you? Working with him being a partner with him. What have you, what have you got from him? I mean, your dad was this sort of creative genius. Um, John Paul’s a genius on another level. I mean, what a, what a great opportunity for you having both these men in your life.

[00:33:41] Angus Mitchell: Talk to us about that. Well, I mean, you have to imagine to, uh. I was just a teenager when my father passed, um, and I had a lot of growing to do and, uh, John Paul was really running the business and, uh, um, had just lost his partner who was the face of the company. So he had to move quick on his feet and, uh, um, I’m very.

[00:34:06] Angus Mitchell: Uh, blessed, proud, and honored that John Paul had made the decisions that he had quickly taking, uh, and making his face the face of the company and not skipping a beat. Um, and I think through my journey, I was really kind of locked in more on the hair side that’s where I really focused. Um, but I was still in my early twenties.

[00:34:30] Angus Mitchell: And, um, you know, I think my relationship with John Paul began to blossom when I was in my thirties, um, for me to be able to really focus more on the education and the hair and then start to learn more about the, uh, business and in my thirties with John Paul, um, he’s always been extremely supportive, uh, and, um, but he’s never given anything away either.

[00:34:58] Angus Mitchell: Yeah. Uh, he’s a very, very shrewd and, uh, strong businessman who has a very strong opinion. And, you know, just like Sassoon’s, you have to prove yourself and, uh, you know, it’s the strong leadership and strong opinion of the leaders. I believe that make strong, um, successful people. Yeah, if you’re strong enough to stay around, um, then you’re going to reap the benefits.

[00:35:30] Angus Mitchell: And, uh, today, um, I have a incredible relationship with the best partner in the world. There’s no other partner like John Paul or anyone that I could ever imagine. Who would have just sold their tequila company Patron for billions and billions of dollars and still, uh, honor the company that brought him to, to the, a dance, you know, uh, If it wasn’t for the Paul Mitchell brand, he wouldn’t have, he wouldn’t have had the great success that he already has.

[00:36:07] Angus Mitchell: And he protects the company dearly. Um, it’s beautiful. Uh, today, uh, his, uh, daughter, Michaeline is shrewd, just as shrewd and just as strong as her daddy. Um, and she is now running the, uh, company. Um, and, you know, uh, to be able to work with someone who gives so much of himself, um, all the, uh, philanthropic work that he does, um, that’s, that’s a legacy that he’s beginning to create that he wants to leave behind.

[00:36:40] Angus Mitchell: Um, but he always does it on behalf of the hairdressers, on behalf of Paul Mitchell. Um, we are so blessed. So, so, so, so, in, uh, uh, incredibly blessed to have that type of leadership, um, that he lives and breathes the, uh, Paul Mitchell brand. Yeah, yeah.

[00:37:01] Antony Whitaker: Um, I want to change track for a minute. Cause I know, uh, we, we have about 10, 15 minutes tops to go.

[00:37:08] Antony Whitaker: Um, The school business that you have outside of the United States, I know there’s one school, I think in Slovenia, but outside of the United States, most people don’t know about the Paul Mitchell schools. Uh, when I, when I first saw them, the share size of them, the amount of them that you’ve got right across the United States, um, they are an amazing business in their own right.

[00:37:30] Antony Whitaker: Uh, talk to us about, about the school, uh, side of the business.

[00:37:33] Angus Mitchell: First, I got to say, the Slovenians are incredible hairdressers. Um, I, I’ve, uh, had the wonderful opportunity to be able to go to Slovenia, uh, uh, do a couple of presentations, uh, be able to work with them side, side by side, uh, me. Uh, the, uh, uh, the, uh, the proud owner of the Paul Mitchell school there.

[00:37:58] Angus Mitchell: And he also has salons. They’re incredibly talented. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I mean, it just puts a song in my heart to be able to watch those guys cut and color hair. Uh, what we have in America, we have about 110 schools across the, uh, United States, and it’s a great combination of, uh. Cutting technique, color, but more, but more importantly, helping them break the fear and build the confidence to help them retail.

[00:38:27] Angus Mitchell: So, uh, we do a lot of different contests, uh, for raising money for different philanthropic, uh, uh, uh, agencies and, uh, that the school, uh, raises money for engage the students. To help raise money for these different philanthropic pieces, which is great because it also allows them to feel that they’re a part of something much more than just getting their hours and getting through a beauty school.

[00:38:56] Angus Mitchell: And then also kind of, um, creates a beautiful culture that they themselves get to feel a part of. So instead of calling them students, we call them future professionals. Play on words. Instead of calling the teachers a teacher, we call them, um, learning leaders, learning leaders. Thank you. This coronavirus thing is just a virus on the brain sometimes.

[00:39:26] Antony Whitaker: So, so, uh, and the schools are all a cosmetology schools, like they’re all at sort of a 12 months or 10 months diploma. Yeah. There’s no advanced school. That you do like the Sassoon Academy or something like that.

[00:39:38] Angus Mitchell: We are currently talking about creating a, um, advanced school in Los Angeles. So we’re right now looking for a, uh, location that we can, um, uh, find and, uh, create our, uh, Paul Mitchell education advanced, um, so, so to speak.

[00:40:01] Angus Mitchell: So, uh, get ready. It’s coming. It is coming in a couple of years. We’re looking forward to it. It’ll be a great destination. Hopefully then, um, you guys can come wherever you are around the world and within the U S you’ll come to our advanced academy, and then I’ll give you guys a private tour in my, uh, Secret car garage, man, that

[00:40:25] Antony Whitaker: was going to be the next thing I was going to ask you about.

[00:40:28] Antony Whitaker: I mean, I got lucky enough to go and have a look at your, your man cave. And, uh, there’s plenty of men that have got a man cave, but, uh, your, your man gave, takes it to a whole other level. Your, your great passion is, uh, motor cars and it’s not, it’s not just collecting them. Um, I mean, how many do you have to start with?

[00:40:50] Angus Mitchell: Well, it’s, it’s, it’s embarrassing. It’s kind of like starts off just like any woman, one or two handbags, and then you have 30. So I have 30 cars laying around, but You know, uh, really what was kind of, uh, my vision for, let’s call it the man cave for now, um, is that, uh, because at Paul Mitchell, we’re always renting out studios to do photo shoots and, uh, commercials, uh, I chose to use half of the space as a, uh, photography Cyc.

[00:41:20] Angus Mitchell: So the site is 35 by 40 foot corner co. So it’s a huge corner cove photography Cyc that you can do motion stills, um, you can pull the car into it if you wanted to. And mm-hmm, for me. I also created a, um, a area that I could do education or do presentations. Um, so it’s, um, I kind of call it the Taj Mahal it’s, uh, the other half of it is, uh, the, uh, car presentation.

[00:41:54] Angus Mitchell: And then I have a warehouse across the street where I build them. So it’s quite easy. I tend to tell people anyone can buy a car, but no one can build it or very few can. And, um, I got really excited. I’ve been building, uh, uh, restaurants and, um, you know, I get into it where I’ll put tape on the cars and you sit back with my, uh, mechanic.

[00:42:19] Angus Mitchell: Um, I have a full time two full time, um, mechanics, and we talk about the vision of what it would look like if we altered it. In certain ways, but still keeping its original look, if you understand, so like a 57 Chevy, uh, I was with John Paul and, uh, someone had, uh, had, had damaged his car. Now he has a candy apple, red 57 Chevy.

[00:42:47] Angus Mitchell: He said to me, Angus, can you fix it? I said, John Paul, would you let me go one step further? Would you let me restore and completely rebuild your car? Now, John Paul was bored in the fifties. This car is a very serious car for him. This is his dream car. He looked at me for 20 seconds in complete silence, burnt a hole right through my soul.

[00:43:08] Angus Mitchell: I’ve never felt so nervous in my entire life. He looked at me, he gave me the nod and a smile. He said, okay, I trust you. Well, two years later, we just unveiled John Paul’s car to him. Uh, the brand there’s nothing 57 about it. Actually. The only thing he asked of me was please keep it. Candy apple red, you can do whatever you want.

[00:43:30] Angus Mitchell: I have rebuilt the car from frame. So it’s a custom frame, 800 horsepower, manual transmission, supercharged VA, all the lights, all the wiring, all the break modern technology, led. So when you get in it, it looks 57, but it will outperform a nine 11 turbo. Easy. Okay. So on the day that I revealed it, my friend had a teal blue 57 Chevy that he let me borrow.

[00:44:02] Angus Mitchell: I put it behind the garage door. I said to John Paul right before I had, I had opened up the garage door. I said, John Paul, not so as not to surprise you. There was a glitch with the paint. So I made sure that I. Made it period correct color and I had the door rolled up and presented this teal blue 57 Chevy where John Paul said, wow, uh, that’s blue.

[00:44:33] Angus Mitchell: And I’ve walked him around the car. Just very, very serious, Antony. I was just going to give it, I was selling it to him. I’m like, and look, we even put a third taillight just for your safety. And he’s just looking at me. Trying to smile as best he can, but I could see the disappointment in his eyes, and then I rolled up the other garage door where we presented his candy apple red supercar, and he was just floored.

[00:44:58] Angus Mitchell: Every, every detail Antony, I’m able to do. I took his signature, cut it and billet, chromed it and put it underneath underneath the bonnet. So when you lifted the hood, the engine hood. The signature is right there in front of the paneled interior that, that, uh, that just, uh, uh, surrounded the, uh, motor. And on top of the motor, peace, love, and happiness, J.

[00:45:23] Angus Mitchell: P., J. P. on the wheels, on the foot pedals, uh, even John Paul’s signature peace sign. It was on the gear shift knob, so it was a wonderful moment and I got to tell you, um, you know, being able to do things like that, um, my father’s dream car and his car was a 65 Mustang convertible, um, I’m building and I’m nearly done with a tribute.

[00:45:50] Angus Mitchell: To my father with his signature on the, on the, uh, on the cylinder, uh, cover, um, with Paul Mitchell, uh, brand, uh, on the, uh, brake calipers, the, uh, Paul Mitchell logo on the brake calipers. I mean, every little detail is, is kind of the same way I think of hair, you know, um, How hands

[00:46:14] Antony Whitaker: on do you get with all that?

[00:46:16] Antony Whitaker: Because I mean, I saw, I saw the showroom and I mean, the showroom is like the most exquisite car showroom that I’ve ever seen. It was jaw dropping. I mean, to call it a man cave, it doesn’t do it justice until you see it. And I knew that there was another garage across the road that you did restoration and you had full time people in there.

[00:46:35] Antony Whitaker: But how, how hands on do you get with this sort of stuff?

[00:46:38] Angus Mitchell: You know, uh, I would like everyone to think that I’m wearing the overalls and that I got a wrench, uh, but that’s not necessarily true. Uh, my mechanic, uh, hands me a beer and sits me on a bar stool. So, um, I have had some sandpaper and I have had a wrench, but it’s usually me tapping the, uh, table and making music with it.

[00:47:02] Angus Mitchell: Um, so, uh, but no, as far as the hands-on part, it really is the vision from telling them what the idea is and then having it come to fruition. So like hair for me, when I looked at a client and I’m going to change them. Or right before getting on stage, I can cut someone’s hair in 45 minutes. I can cut someone’s hair in 20 minutes.

[00:47:24] Angus Mitchell: I can cut someone’s hair in 10 minutes to keep up with, with the Robert Cromeans if I have to, but to build a car can take anywhere from two to four years or more. So to be able to have that, that, um, that vision from start to finish, and then on top of that, it needs to be safe, correct? Like you just can’t build a car and put the most.

[00:47:47] Angus Mitchell: Horsepower motor, like a thousand horsepower. This is, this is my next project, by the way, 1970 charger. I was born in 1970. Uh, the, uh, Dodge Charger is a car that is very muscular. Uh, for those of you that don’t know what a Dodge Charger is, there’s a American TV show that’s called the Dukes of hazard. Uh, yeah, I remember that.

[00:48:07] Angus Mitchell: Yeah, this car, but, um, the GM. 100 crate motors and has a thousand horsepower, and they’re only making 100. I have one of the 100 crate motors in my garage. That’s going in that Dodge charger with that. We had to make sure that it’s not going to break, that it’s going to stop and that it’s going to have a suspension.

[00:48:31] Angus Mitchell: That’s going to be able to be comfortable enough to be able to ride, which is what we did with John Paul’s car. So, you know, uh, there’s all these amazing elements that are so exciting. As you begin to build and work through the process and of being able to stretch and mold the metal, uh, and the shape of the body, but to still kind of keep it correct.

[00:48:53] Angus Mitchell: So if you were to look at it, you would go, wow, that’s a nice charger, but wait, that’s, is that the rear is the rear fenders wider? Because, you know, like you start to see things that start to make you go, it looks classic. It looks period correct, but wow, that’s really cool. That’s really different. These are the things that really kind of excite me and get my, uh, get my blood pressure.

[00:49:17] Antony Whitaker: I mean, you’re, you’re animated and passionate when you talk about the business and you talk about hair, et cetera. Um, and you talk about the products, but when you start talking about your cars, you come alive. Uh, even, even more so, uh, look, I know I promised you that, uh, we would wrap up because I know you had another appointment that you had to get to.

[00:49:38] Antony Whitaker: Um, and there’s loads of things that I wanted to ask you about, which I. Basically haven’t got time to. So, uh, we’re going to have to get you back on the show, uh, at another stage. So, um, uh, where can people connect with you on, on Instagram or social channels or, or don’t you

[00:49:54] Angus Mitchell: do that? Yeah, well, my Instagram, I’ve been a really, well, you know, given what we’ve been going through this past, well, couple of months, um, really kind of given me an opportunity to dive back into my Instagram and get back in touch with.

[00:50:10] Angus Mitchell: With my audience, um, which has been fun, you know, um, so Angus, uh, you can find me at Angus Mitchell on Instagram. And, um, or if you’re interested in, uh, looking at this, uh, at my shop, it’s called GearboxLA.com. And, uh, you can go on there and, uh, there’s pictures of, uh, some of the events that I’ve thrown, uh, my birthday, the most important event.

[00:50:39] Angus Mitchell: And, uh, it’s kind of great. You’ll, you’ll get a sense and a feel of what, um, Iron Man’s lair looks like, because it looks very much like Iron Man’s lair.

[00:50:48] Antony Whitaker: That’s the only way to describe it. Yeah. I, I will put those links to your Instagram and, uh, GearboxLA.com, was it? Yes, sir. I’ll put them on my, uh, my website in the show notes so that people can get to it.

[00:50:59] Antony Whitaker: And I highly recommend that you go and have a look at Iron Man’s lair. Um, so, um, to wrap up Angus, I just want to say thank you so much for being on this Grow My Salon Business Podcast. Um, it’s been great to have this opportunity to talk one to one with you and I really appreciate you making yourself available.

[00:51:17] Antony Whitaker: Uh, have you got any final words for our audience?

[00:51:21] Angus Mitchell: Well, uh, you know, Antony first let me, um, Thank you for all the hard work and leadership that you share, uh, and that you give to our company and our salon owners and, um, and, uh, and, and, and, and all of our stylists as well. Uh, and end of the day, um, I know we haven’t really touched upon the times that are going on right now, but I do want to make everyone aware and clear that globally around the world, especially within the United States, there’s a voice that needs to be heard.

[00:51:57] Angus Mitchell: Um, and I think with that, uh, I think it’s a very, very important that we as hair stylists have a magical gift and that is to make people feel good. Um, so, uh, with our gift, as people start to come out and we have a, a vaccine for this crazy virus and people’s voices are being heard and they need to heal and they need to feel.

[00:52:22] Angus Mitchell: Good about themselves. Uh, as a hair community, we have the power to be able to make this whole planet feel beautiful again. My wonderful girlfriend, she said to me, I bet you didn’t know you were dating a brunette. So, you know, um, here’s our time. We can really have this opportunity. To make women, make men, make everyone feel good, bring, bring the, uh, vibration of everything that’s exploding out there back to calm and, uh, how extremely rare and how extremely beautiful is it that we as hairdressers, this is what we.

[00:53:04] Angus Mitchell: This is why we decided to choose this profession to make a, uh, to make an impact to make a profound impact on this planet. And we do it client by client. So, I want to thank everyone for sharing their love and their and their passion and their techniques for just making the world a better place

[00:53:29] Antony Whitaker:  Angus, that’s a perfect way to wrap up.

[00:53:30] Antony Whitaker: I know you have to rush. Thank you very much Mr. Angus Mitchell for being on the Grow My Salon Business podcast.

[00:53:36] Angus Mitchell: Thank you Antony a lot.

[00:53:37] Antony Whitaker: Thanks Angus. Cheers. Thank you for listening to today’s podcast. If you’d like to connect with us, you’ll find us at growmysalonbusiness.com or on Facebook and Instagram at Grow My Salon Business.

[00:53:53] Antony Whitaker: And if you would enjoyed tuning into our podcast. Make sure that you subscribe, like, and share it with your friends until next time, this is Antony Whitaker wishing you continued success.